WTF: they have to take time off to play in the Club World Cup 🤯

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·15 June 2025

WTF: they have to take time off to play in the Club World Cup 🤯

A world apart.

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This Sunday, the modest Auckland team discovered the FIFA Club World Cup by taking on Bayern Munich.

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A baptism by fire that turned into an ordeal, especially since the winner of the Oceania Champions League was missing part of its squad for a reason totally unthinkable in Europe.

As coach Paul Posa explained to Reuters, "all the players have another job besides their football commitment [...] the players had to take annual leave... In fact, some players couldn't find the time to participate in both the OFC Champions League and the Club World Cup."

Even crazier, some were forced to take unpaid leave in order to play in the World Cup. This was notably the case for Connor Tracey, Auckland’s goalkeeper, who works in a veterinary pharmaceutical warehouse.

"I still have to combine annual leave and unpaid leave. I'm going to have a bit of trouble paying my rent, my bills, and everything else, but playing against Bayern, Benfica, and Boca is really worth it. The challenge is to compete as best we can against them. We're not stupid. We know what we're up against," he told DAZN.

Just compare the difference in value between Bayern’s squad and Auckland’s to understand the world that separates them.